G,  Harold  Powell 
Memorial 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 

Lav. rence  Clark  Powell 


G.  HAROLD  POWELL 


Mem  orial 

Los  Angeles,  California 

MARCH  TWENTIETH 

Nineteen  hundred  twenty-two 


3v- <£ 


327582 


FEBRUARY  8,  1872  —  FEBRUARY  18,  1922 


POWELL,  GEORGE  HAROLD,  horticulturist, 
was  born  at  Ghent,  N.  Y.,  February  8,  1872,  and  died 
at  Pasadena,  Cal.,  February  18,  1922,  son  of  George  T 
and  Marcia  Rebecca  (Chace)  Powell,  and  grandson 
of  Townsend  and  Catherine  (Macy)  Powell.  Through 
the  latter  he  was  tenth  in  descent  from  John  Rowland. 
a  signer  of  the  "Mayflower'  pact,  and  his  wife,  Eliza- 
.beth  Tilley,  also  of  the  "Mayflower"  party.  His 
father,  George  T.  Powell,  is  a  horticulturist  and  edu- 
cator. G.  Harold  Powell  received  his  preparatory 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Union  Free  high 
school,  Chatham,  N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  at  Cornell 
University  in  189$  with  the  degree  B.S.  in  agriculture, 
receiving  t  ee  M.S.  in  agriculture  at  that  insti- 

tution in  1896.  During  the  ensuing  five  years  he  was 
horticulturist  at  the  experiment  station  of  Delaware 
Agricultur  ege.  In  1901  he  became  associated 

with  the  U.  S.  department  of  agriculture*  as  assistant 
pomologist  and  in  1904  was  appointed  p;  st  in 

charge  of  fruit  storage  and  transportation  investiga- 
tions, continuing  six  years  in  that  capacity,  and  in  1910 
was  assistant  chief  of  the  bureau  of  plant  industry.  Tn 
191 1  he  was  secretary  and  manager  of  the  Citrus  Pro- 
tective League  of  California.  From  September,  1912, 
until  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  general  mana£> 
the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange,  with  head- 
quarters in  Los  Angeles.  From  July  9,  1917,  to  Jan- 
•),"  1919,  he  was  in  charge  of  the  perishable  food 
division  of  the  U,  S.  Food  Administration  at  Washing- 
He  is  author  of  "Co-operation  in  Agriculture" 
( J913),  and  of  various  bulletins  on  fruit  growing,  trans- 
portation, storage  and  distribution.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  numerous  horticultural  and  agricultural  societies 
and  associations ;  of  Sigma  XI  (honorary  scientific)  and 
Kappa  Sigma  fraternities;  Cosmos  Club.  Washington, 
and  the  Lo«  Aneeles  Athletic  Club  and  Sunset  Club, 
Los  Angeles.  He  was  married  at  Collins,  N.  Y., 
1,  1896,  to  Gertrude  E,  daughter  of  William  H.  C 
a  lawyer  of  Buffalo;  there  are  three  children: 
Clark,  George  Townsend,  and  Lawrence  C 


FIBRUARY  8,  1872  — FEBRUARY  18, 


POWELL,  GEORGE  HAROLD,  horticulturist, 
was  born  at  Ghent,  N.  Y.,  February  8,  1872,  and  died 
at  Pasadena,  Cal.,  February  18,  1922,  son  of  George  T. 
and  Marcia  Rebecca  (Chace)  Powell,  and  grandson 
of  Townsend  and  Catherine  (Macy)  Powell.  Through 
the  latter  he  was  tenth  in  descent  from  John  Rowland, 
a  signer  of  the  "Mayflower"  pact,  and  his  wife,  Eliza- 
.beth  Tilley,  also  of  the  "Mayflower"  party.  His 
father,  George  T.  Powell,  is  a  horticulturist  and  edu- 
cator. G.  Harold  Powell  received  his  preparatory 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Union  Free  high 
school,  Chatham,  N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  at  Cornell 
University  in  1895  with  the  degree  B.S.  in  agriculture, 
receiving  the  degree  M.S.  in  agriculture  at  that  insti- 
tution in  1896.  During  the  ensuing  five  years  he  was 
horticulturist  at  the  experiment  station  of  Delaware 
Agricultural  College.  In  1901  he  became  associated 
with  the  U.  S.  department  of  agriculture  as  assistant 
pomologist,  and  in  1904  was  appointed  pomologist  in 
charge  of  fruit  storage  and  transportation  investiga- 
tions, continuing  six  years  in  that  capacity,  and  in  1910 
was  assistant  chief  of  the  bureau  of  plant  industry.  In 
1911  he  was  secretary  and  manager  of  the  Citrus  Pro- 
tective League  of  California.  From  September,  1912, 
until  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  general  manager  of 
the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange,  with  head- 
quarters in  Los  Angeles.  From  July  9,  1917,  to  Jan- 
uary 10,  1919,  he  was  in  charge  of  the  perishable  food 
division  of  the  U.  S.  Food  Administration  at  Washing- 
ton. He  is  author  of  "Co-operation  in  Agriculture" 
(1913),  and  of  various  bulletins  on  fruit  growing,  trans- 
portation, storage  and  distribution.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  numerous  horticultural  and  agricultural  societies 
and  associations ;  of  Sigma  XI  (honorary  scientific)  and 
Kappa  Sigma  fraternities;  Cosmos  Club,  Washington, 
and  the  Los  Angeles  Athletic  Club  and  Sunset  Club, 
Los  Angeles.  He  was  married  at  Collins,  N.  Y.,  July 
1,  1896,  to  Gertrude  E.,  daughter  of  William  H.  Clark, 
a  lawyer  of  Buffalo ;  there  are  three  children :  Harold 
Clark,  George  Townsend,  and  Lawrence  Clark  Powell. 


Old  friends  and  fellow-workers  in  the  East,  who 
know  that  they  shared  their  best  with  the  West  when 
they  gave  Harold  Powell  to  California,  would  join  in 
your  memorial  to  him. 

We  would  share  now  your  joy  in  his  achievements; 
your  deep  sense  of  personal  sorrow  in  his  swift  passing; 
and  in  loving  reverence  for  the  zestful,  radiant  spirit 
of  the  man. 

His  great  desire  was  to  live  fully  and  to  share  his 
best  with  all  whom  he  greeted  on  Life's  Highway, 
whether  the  meeting  was  brief  or  prolonged. 

Vision  wedded  to  poise  and  patience;  sound  judg- 
ment and  a  mastery  of  the  technique  of  work  and  of 
life — all  were  his,  made  dearly  human  by  the  alchemy 
of  a  great  loving  heart  and  imperturbable  good  humor. 
He  was  eager  to  share  his  best  not  only  with  his  nearest 
and  dearest  but  with  any  fellow-man  who  could  use  it 
and  so  grow  toward  the  light. 

Not  space,  nor  time,  nor  death  has  any  power  to  dim 
the  graciousness  of  what  he  was  and  is;  nor  to  take  the 
warmth  from  the  steady  glow  of  his  tenderness  for  his 
kind  and  his  faith  in  their  capacity  for  attainment. 

Let  us  rejoice  with  you  in  our  common  comradeship 
with  this  man  whose  life  was 

"Like  a  strong  white  wing 

That  sheltered  every  questing  thing." 

ANNE  LEWIS  PIERCE  CYRUS  C.  MILLER 

MARY  ENGLE  PENNINGTON  JOHN  DRAPER 

MABEL  POWELL  SATTERLEE  DANIEL  D.  BLACK 

G.  REESE  SATTERLEE  HELEN  M.  P.  BETTS 

ELIZABETH  POWELL  BOND  EDWIN  C.  POWELL 

LIBERTY  HYDE  BAILEY  ALGER  W.  POWELL 


Service  to  the  Nation 

HONORABLE  HERBERT  HOOVER 
Secretary  of  Commerce. 

T  FEEL  greatly  honored  to  have  the  privilege  of  par- 
•••  ticipation  in  any  tribute  to  Harold  Powell.  My  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  him  began  when  he  responded 
to  my  request  in  the  Food  Administration  that  he 
should  volunteer  to  take  charge  of  the  distribution  of  a 
large  part  of  our  food  during  the  war.  It  was  indeed 
the  most  responsible  task  that  we  had  to  fill.  We  felt 
that  Mr.  Powell,  in  his  independence  from  all  interest, 
in  the  large  experience  and  reputation  that  he  had 
gained  for  public  service  and  single-mindedness  and 
ability,  was  the  one  man  who  could  best  serve  in  that 
time  of  emergency.  There  was  no  hesitation  on  his 
part  in  response. 

The  importance  of  his  service  cannot  be  measured 
because  it  is  impossible  to  reconstruct  the  problems  and 
difficulties  in  the  setting  of  those  difficult  times  in 
which  he  served.  It  became  necessary,  if  we  were  to 
conduct  the  war  with  success,  that  we  should  mobilize 
not  only  every  energy  of  the  American  people,  but  that 
we  should  divert  to  war  purposes  every  particle  of  food 
and  free  every  part  of  transportation  that  we  could 
afford  from  the  normal  uses  of  our  country.  It  became 
necessary  to  reduce  the  volume  of  transportation 
assigned  to  the  ordinary  uses  of  life  and  to  save  every 
railway  car  and  every  mile,  and  to  do  this  required  an 
entire  reorganization  of  the  distribution  of  our  food 
supplies.  Nor  was  it  simply  a  problem  of  restriction 
of  transportation,  because  it  was  fundamental  that  we 
should  keep  the  agriculture  of  America  alive  and 
prosperous,  that  it  might  thereby  go  on  with  increasing 
production  if  war  should  last  for  years  instead  of 
months.  It  meant  that  we  must  move  the  foodstuffs 
from  the  farmer  when  they  were  ready  for  moving;  it 
meant  that  we  must  keep  the  people  of  our  great  cities 
supplied  in  order  that  they  should  not  become  restive 
and  lose  their  interest  and  energies  in  the  war.  None 
who  have  not  themselves  dealt  with  these  problems  can 


appreciate  the  minute  rills  that  make  up  the  mighty 
stream  of  food  supplies  that  flows  into  our  great  cities. 
Nor  without  experience,  can  one  realize  how  vitally 
our  American  people  depend  upon  the  day-to-day 
movement  of  their  food,  for  there  is  scarcely  a  city  in 
America  that  carries  more  than  a  week's  food  supply  at 
any  time.  And  it  was  given  to  Harold  Powell  that  he 
should  work  out  those  methods  that  would  not  only 
assure  a  continuous  supply  of  food  to  our  own  people, 
but  that  would  assure  the  minimum  use  of  our  trans- 
portation and  would  maintain  the  successful  conduct 
of  our  agriculture. 

The  proof  of  his  ability  and  generalship  stands  in 
the  fact  that  the  mighty  current  of  business  went  on — 
industry,  agriculture,  transportation,  distribution — 
without  ever  the  country  having  noticed  the  great  and 
fundamental  changes  in  its  whole  vital  character. 
This  change,  with  the  enormous  organization  it 
required,  he  secured  by  the  voluntary  support  of  prac- 
tically all  the  distribution  agencies  of  America.  He 
secured  the  volunteer  service  of  men  schooled  in  every 
branch  of  distribution,  and  in  every  part  of  the  United 
States  within  a  period  of  but  a  couple  of  months,  and 
within  two  months  of  the  end  of  that  service  he  was  able 
to  return  the  whole  of  this  enormous  mobilization 
of  American  energies  back  into  its  proper  channels, 
without  a  ripple  in  the  stream  of  supply. 

All  these  are  qualities  of  great  generalship;  they 
are  the  qualities  of  that  generalship  that  must  go  on 
in  the  nation,  unheard  and  unsung,  but  they  are  none 
the  less  a  tribute  to  the  character  and  ability  of  the  man. 
One  of  the  qualities  that  enabled  Harold  Powell  to 
make  so  great  a  success  in  so  difficult  a  task  was  his  great 
capacity  in  conciliation,  his  great  geniality  of  charac- 
ter, which  amid  all  the  opportunities  for  a  thousand 
frictions  enabled  him  to  carry  through  the  whole  organ- 
ization a  certain  basic  sweetness  and  kindliness  that 
lifted  him  through  the  most  terrible  discouragements. 
For  these  services  Harold  Powell  deserves  the  gratitude 
of  all  of  the  American  people. 


Nor  did  his  public  service  end  with  my  own  associ- 
ation with  him  and  in  the  war,  for  in  this  present  admin- 
istration we  have  on  three  occasions  asked  Mr.  Powell 
to  come  from  California  to  Washington  that  we  might 
consult  with  him  on  problems  of  legislation  and  prob- 
lems of  administration.  In  fact,  no  problem  concern- 
ing agriculture  or  distribution  of  food  in  America  could 
have  come  to  our  Government  without  Harold  Powell 
being  the  first  of  the  men  to  be  called  in  for  advice. 

He  has  enriched  the  whole  thought  of  the  American 
people  on  these  tremendously  difficult  problems ;  he  has 
given  an  impulse  to  co-operation,  an  impulse  to  better- 
ments in  our  commercial  methods  in  these  directions 
beyond  that  of  any,  and  his  loss  will  be  immeasurable. 
But  above  all  he  was  a  man  of  great  honesty  of  mind, 
of  great  honesty  of  character,  and  a  man  with  an  under- 
standing heart.  Further  than  this,  in  the  service  which 
he  gave,  he  proved  himself  a  great  citizen  of  the  United 
States. 


Service  to  Agriculture 

HONORABLE  HENRY  C.  WALLACE 

Secretary  of  Agriculture 

HPHE  many  friends  of  Harold  Powell  in  the  Depart- 
•*•  ment  of  Agriculture  wish  to  join  with  me  in  sending 
an  expression  on  this  occasion  of  their  high  apprecia- 
tion of  his  life  work. 

While  in  the  department,  and  since  leaving  the 
department,  he  was  at  the  very  heart  of  the  development 
of  practical  methods  of  growing  and  handling  perish- 
able fruits  that  would  be  scientifically  correct,  and, 
therefore,  make  possible  distribution  on  a  basis  econom- 
ically sound, — this  to  the  end  that  there  might  be  fair 
and  equitable  reward  to  each  who  rendered  necessary 
and  efficient  services.  It  was  in  a  peculiar  sense  pio- 
neer work  in  the  application  of  the  results  of  biological 
researches  to  some  of  the  complicated  and  perplexing 
problems  of  modern  commerce  and  industry. 

Coming  into  the  work  in  the  full  flush  of  well- 
trained  young  manhood,  he  was  blessed  with  a  rich 
inheritance  of  love  for  nature  life  and  men.  As  the 
work  proceeded  and  bore  its  fruitage  of  results,  bene- 
ficial alike  to  producers,  distributors  and  consumers  of 
these  products,  he  came  to  see  that  some  of  the  most 
difficult  problems  were  essentially  sociological  and 
humanistic,  requiring  the  development  of  fraternal  and 
mutually  just  and  friendly  relations  among  men,  as  well 
as  the  control  of  biologic  processes  and  of  destructive 
organisms.  Soon  there  developed  in  him  that  intense 
and  practical  interest  in  human  co-operation,  the  results 
of  which  proved  of  such  immeasurable  value  to  Amer- 
ican agriculture  and  commerce  during  the  world  war, 
and  of  such  outstanding  importance  in  the  recent  great 
Agricultural  Conference  in  Washington,  where  his 
masterly  leadership  in  this  field  was  manifest. 

Genial,  cheerful,  and  broad  visioned,  always  con- 
structively sane  and  practical,  never  losing  faith  in  the 


intention  and  ability  of  the  average  man  to  deal  fairly 
with  his  neighbor  when  once  his  responsibilities  and 
relationships  are  made  clear  to  him,  Harold  Powell 
will  live  in  the  memories  of  his  old  friends  and  associ- 
ates here,  an  outstanding  and  loved  example  of  that 
type  of  unselfish  and  efficient  manhood  which  agricul- 
ture, business  and  humanity  so  greatly  need. 


G.  Harold  Powell  —  Scholar  and  Co-operative 

Leader 

RALPH  P.  MERRITT 

President  and  General  Manager  California  Rice  Growers' 

Association;  Formerly  Comptroller  University 

of  California 


of  the  beautiful  facts  of  life  is  that  human  ser- 
cannot  be  cast  into  the  scales  and  be  weighed, 
nor  be  put  under  the  cold  measure  of  science.  When 
the  world  meets  the  shock  of  the  loss  of  a  great  life 
there  are  as  many  measures  of  the  value  of  that  life  as 
there  were  avenues  of  service.  It  is  so  with  the  life  of 
G.  Harold  Powell,  whose  wide  interests  reached  many 
fields  and  whose  friendships  numbered  thousands.  He 
was  an  administrator,  yet  a  scholar;  a  lover  of  the  out- 
doors, yet  had  exquisite  taste  for  art;  he  had  matchless 
qualities  for  friendship  and  leadership  and  through  it 
all  ran  the  radiance  of  his  character. 

Through  ten  years  of  close  association  it  was  my 
delight  to  know  many  sides  of  Mr.  Powell's  activity, 
but  I  speak  of  only  two  of  them;  his  value  to  education 
in  this  State  and  his  leadership  in  the  Co-operative 
Movement  throughout  the  Nation.  Of  the  former  I 
speak  from  several  years  of  association  as  an  officer  of 
the  University  of  California,  and  the  latter  as  head  of 
one  of  the  co-operative  marketing  associations  whose 
inspiration  and  sound  guidance  came  from  him. 

G.  Harold  Powell,  scientist  and  scholar,  took  his 
master's  degree  from  Cornell  in  1896,  and  went  to  the 
Delaware  Experiment  Station  for  five  years  and  then 
into  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  in 
1901.  For  ten  years  he  related  practical  problems  of 
the  horticultural  industries  to  scientific  facts  and  human 
equations.  He  mastered  each  problem  as  it  was  put 
before  him.  He  was  not  satisfied  to  classify  the  fungus 
that  appeared  in  fruit  decay  in  transit;  he  went  back 
to  the  orchard  from  which  the  fruit  came  and  found 
how  the  fruit  was  bruised,  and  devised  means  by  which 
in  future  that  fruit  was  shipped  without  a  bruise  and 
therefore  without  loss  from  decay.  His  constructive 


mind  did  not  stop  with  a  scientific  answer;  he  went  on 
until  he  had  solved  the  human  problem  which  caused 
the  scientific  problem. 

From  1912  to  his  last  moment  his  advice  and  counsel 
were  eagerly  sought  on  every  important  agricultural 
matter  before  the  University  of  California.  He  had 
the  confidence  of  the  Regents,  President  and  Faculty 
alike.  When  the  Legislature  of  1913  had  made  possi- 
ble the  present  expansion  of  the  University  Department 
of  Agriculture,  the  President  and  Regents  by  unani- 
mous choice  invited  Harold  Powell  to  become  Dean. 
He  had  every  quality  for  successful  leadership.  Yet 
he  declined.  Not  that  he  failed  in  appreciation  of  the 
great  opportunity  that  was  offered,  nor  that  he  failed 
to  be  again  drawn  toward  the  field  of  education,  but 
because,  as  he  once  told  me,  his  office  as  General  Man- 
ager of  the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange,  with 
its  twelve  thousand  members,  was  already  a  field  of 
educational  leadership  that  was  second  to  none,  and 
that,  working  in  harmony  with  the  University,  he  could 
accomplish  the  larger  service  for  the  University  and 
the  Industry.  He  was  right.  For  in  ten  years  he  built 
his  ideals  and  rich  experience  into  the  research  and 
teaching  in  the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  California.  At  the  moment  of  his  death  he 
was  the  Chairman  of  the  Commission  on  Agricultural 
Education  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  upon 
the  authorization  of  the  last  Legislature.  Harold  Pow- 
ell was  not  only  a  scholar  and  scientist  but  an  educa- 
tional leader  of  power,  and  the  State  is  richer  for  his 
quiet,  faithful  and  unselfish  devotion.  The  vital  energy 
which  he  so  generously  gave  will  live  for  the  days 
to  come. 

And  then  there  is  the  wider  field  of  leadership  in 
the  country's  national  guidance  of  the  co-operative  mar- 
keting of  farm  products.  National  prosperity  is 
builded  upon  agricultural  prosperity,  and  agricultural 
prosperity  rests  upon  a  fair  return  to  the  producer  over 
a  period  of  years,  and  fair  returns  are  only  assured  by 
co-operative  marketing  under  sound  organization  and 
wise  guidance.  Harold  Powell  properly  became  the 


A  Tribute  from  the  Citrus  Industry 

BY  C.  C.  TEAGUE 

President  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange. 

HPHE  friends  of  Mr.  Powell  who  have  preceded  me 
•*•  have  spoken  of  the  achievements  of  this  remarkable 
man.  While  the  years  which  he  spent  here,  as  we  meas- 
ure them,  were  comparatively  few,  still,  measured  by 
his  accomplishments,  his  life  was  a  long  one. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  have  been  very  closely 
associated  with  him  for  the  past  ten  years.  We  have 
taken  many  trips  across  the  continent  together  and  have 
been  in  almost  constant  consultation  in  regard  to  the 
problems  of  the  citrus  industry  and  I  have  had  ample 
opportunity  to  know  his  inmost  thoughts.  It,  there- 
fore, seems  appropriate  that  I  should  speak  for  a  few 
moments  of  his  more  intimate  relationship  to  the  citrus 
industry. 

When  he  was  appointed  General  Manager  of  the 
California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange  about  ten  years 
ago  there  were  those  who  doubted  the  wisdom  of  his 
selection.  Some  thought  that  his  training  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  did  not  particularly  fit  him  to  be 
the  general  manager  of  a  great  commercial  organiza- 
tion like  the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange,  even 
though  it  was  co-operative  in  character.  They  thought 
that  his  experience  was  of  a  theoretical  nature  and  that 
the  selling  of  fruit  was  essentially  practical  and  called 
for  a  man  of  different  training. 

In  a  very  short  time  he  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of 
the  directors  who  appointed  him  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  I  doubt  if  there  could  be  found  a  man  in  the 
citrus  industry  who  did  not  think  that  his  appointment 
was  a  wise  one.  * 

His  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  minds  with 
which  I  have  ever  come  in  contact.  He  was  a  born 
diplomat.  He  had  a  wonderful  ability  to  sift  and 
analyze  any  question  and,  brushing  aside  superficial 
things,  arrive  at  a  right  conclusion.  And  when  he 
had  reached  a  conclusion  he  had  a  wonderful  way  of 


presenting  that  conclusion  to  others  in  such  a  clear,  con- 
cise, logical  way  that  few  who  listened  could  escape 
coming  to  the  same  opinion. 

He  was  a  gentleman,  kind  in  his  judgments,  courte- 
ous, never  too  busy  to  give  careful  hearing  and  consider- 
ation to  any  who  had  grievances,  fancied  or  real,  or  to 
those  who  had  suggestions  to  offer  for  the  betterment 
of  the  business  or  industry,  even  though  these  sugges- 
tions were  often  impractical. 

Mr.  Powell  understood,  as  few  do,  how  to  build 
up  a  great  organization.  He  realized  fully  that  one 
man,  no  matter  how  able,  can  accomplish  little  by  his 
own  efforts  but  can  accomplish  much  through  the 
development  of  able  lieutenants.  He  had  unerring 
judgment  in  the  selection  of  the  right  person  to  fill  a 
given  position.  He  was  a  good  judge  of  character. 
He  loved  to  select  a  young  man  of  good  character  and 
training  and  place  him  in  a  position  of  responsibility 
and  see  him  grow  and  develop.  He  appreciated  that 
men  can  be  developed  only  through  responsibility  and 
that  they  can  be  developed  for  important  positions  only 
by  giving  them  authority  to  work  out  the  problem  given 
them  without  too  much  interference,  and  he  never 
failed  to  give  credit  where  credit  was  due. 

He  had  a  great,  human,  sympathetic  interest  in  the 
personal  problems  of  his  associates  and  was  ever  mind- 
ful of  their  welfare. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  such  a  man  should  have  built 
up  a  great  spirit  of  loyalty  and  team-work  among  his 
assistants  and  among  all  of  the  employees  of  the  great 
organization  which  he  so  ably  managed,  and  that  they 
should  have  grown  to  love  him? 

Mr.  Powell's  ever  present  thought  was  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  citrus  industry  and  the  agriculture  of  the 
country.  He  preached  the  gospel  of  co-operation 
everywhere.  He  was  known  far  and  wide  as  the  expo- 
nent of  the  co-operative  movement  in  America. 

Few  men  had  so  wide  an  acquaintance  with  impor- 
tant men  in  public  life.  He  was  well  and  favorably 
known  in  Washington  and,  on  account  of  his  reputa- 


tion  for  never  advocating  anything  that  was  not  right 
and  just,  he  always  had  audience  and  careful  consider- 
ation from  any  department  or  bureau  that  it  was  neces- 
sary for  the  industry  to  approach,  and  even  from  the 
President  and  Congress  itself. 

In  his  relation  to  the  internal  problems  of  the  organ- 
ization, he  was  a  great  harmonizer.  Whenever  any 
controversial  question  was  being  discussed  he  never 
took  a  position  hastily  but  when  he  took  a  position  he 
was  firm,  but  always  considerate  of  the  position  of 
others.  The  great  confidence  which  the  membership 
had  in  his  good  judgment,  ability  and  fairness  went 
far  in  smoothing  the  way. 

Speaking  for  the  twelve  thousand  members  of  the 
California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange  and  their  families, 
we  will  greatly  miss  this  splendid  man  whose  remark- 
able mind  led  us  for  so  long  and  we  are  exceedingly 
thankful  that  so  many  years  of  his  life  were  permitted 
to  be  devoted  to  our  service. 


G.  Harold  Powell 
The  Man 

DON  FRANCISCO 

Pacific  Coast  Manager  Lord  and  Thomas.    Formerly  Advertising 
Manager  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange. 

have  met  here  today  to  pay  reverent  tribute  to  a 
great  man.  Among  bankers  or  lawyers,  among 
scientists  or  business  men,  in  railroad  or  in  advertising 
circles,  among  fruit  growers  or  fruit  buyers,  G.  Harold 
Powell  stood  out  as  a  great  man. 

He  was  great  because  of  his  service  to  the  Ameri- 
can farmer  while  a  representative  of  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture. 

He  was  great  because  of  his  contribution  to  the 
upbuilding  of  the  California  citrus  industry  while  man- 
ager of  the  Citrus  Protective  League. 

During  the  last  ten  years,  as  general  manager  of  the 
California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange,  he  guided  that 
pioneer  farmers'  marketing  organization  to  a  new  posi- 
tion of  leadership.  He  dreamed  its  future,  charted  its 
course  and  inspired  his  men  to  a  love  of  the  things  they 
were  doing.  And  for  all  this  he  was  great. 

Measured  by  his  war  service  while  head  of  the 
Division  of  Perishable  Foods  of  the  United  States  Food 
Administration,  he  was  a  great  man. 

Great  he  was  as  an  authority  on  marketing  and  agri- 
cultural co-operation. 

With  all  these  interests  there  has  been  a  constant 
flow  of  others  to  which  he  gave  his  clear  mind  and  sta- 
bilizing judgment.  He  was  vice-president  of  the 
American  Association  of  Ice  and  Refrigeration,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Pomological  Society,  the  Society 
for  Horticultural  Science  and  the  Washington  Botan- 
ical Society.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  head  of  its  Agricultural 
Committee.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  All-Year  Club 
of  Southern  California  and  head  of  its  Advertising 
Committee.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of 


Domestic  Distribution  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  the  United  States,  a  member  of  the  California 
Agricultural  Legislative  Committee  and  a  member 
of  the  Los  Angeles  Board  of  the  Foreign  Finance 
Corporation. 

By  the  yard-stick  of  material  accomplishments  on 
these  lasting  monuments  to  his  memory,  the  world  will 
judge  G.  Harold  Powell  a  great  man.  But  to  us  who 
were  privileged  to  know  him  intimately, — to  us  who 
called  him  "Chief,"  to  us  whom — fatherlike — he  called 
his  "boys" — this  is  not  enough  to  justify  the  position 
he  holds  in  our  eyes. 

That  something  about  Mr.  Powell  that  made  him 
the  leader  he  was  may  not  be  expressed  in  words.  It 
was  rather  the  spirit  that  was  the  man.  He  had  a 
radiance  of  character  that  shone  out  and  through  the 
man  to  his  associates,  and  filled  them  with  the  indom- 
itable spirit  of  enthusiasm,  confidence  and  success  that 
was  his. 

In  looking  over  some  of  Mr.  Powell's  writings  I 
found  this  statement,  written  only  a  few  weeks  before 
he  died: 

"The  measure  of  a  man  is  not  to  be  taken  by  his  material 
accomplishments,  but  by  what  he  makes  of  himself ;  by  his 
self-realization,  his  knowledge  of  life's  purposes  and  his  har- 
monious adjustment  to  its  expressions." 

This,  then,  is  the  standard  he  applied  to  his  own 
life. 

Few  men  are  endowed  with  the  genius  of  organ- 
ization, the  judgment  in  selecting  men,  the  powers  of 
analysis  and  assimilation,  the  ability  to  express  ideas 
clearly  and  forcefully,  as  was  G.  Harold  Powell.  But 
valuable  as  was  this  rare  combination  of  faculties,  the 
largest  part  of  his  power  was  latent.  What  others 
effected  by  talent  or  eloquence  alone,  this  man  accom- 
plished by  the  aid  of  some  magnetism.  "Half  his 
strength  he  put  not  forth."  He  conquered  because  his 
presence  altered  the  face  of  affairs.  He  fought  for 
principles  yet  never  appeared  the  fighter.  He  did 
not  "put  things  through,"  under  his  generalship  things 


went  through.  His  victories  were  by  demonstration 
of  superiority  and  not  by  the  crossing  of  bayonets. 

Mr.  Powell's  relation  to  his  fellow  men  was  char- 
acterized by  a  deep  personal  interest  in  their  welfare 
and  a  uniform  courtesy  that  sprang  from  the  heart. 
Responsibility  and  the  pressure  of  business  never 
robbed  him  of  this  courtesy  and  this  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  others.  He  was  ever  a  gentleman.  He 
criticized  no  one  in  the  presence  of  others.  He  sifted 
out  and  passed  on  the  good  things  in  life  and  discarded 
whatever  was  selfish  or  unwholesome.  He  was  a  mes- 
senger of  good  cheer.  He  held  malice  toward  none. 
He  had  no  moods.  Tender  as  a  woman  in  considering 
the  personal  problems  of  his  fellow  men,  he  was  prone 
to  excuse  their  mistakes,  using  them  in  his  forbearance 
to  correct  the  fault.  He  was  more  like  a  brother  than  a 
boss  to  his  associates,  and  his  door  was  ever  open  to  those 
in  trouble.  He  came  to  our  door  as  often  as  he  sum- 
moned us  to  his.  He  made  us  feel  that  we  were 
working  with  him  and  not  for  him,  yet  always  we 
felt  that  respect  which  a  truly  big  man  inspires.  He 
worked  quietly  and  there  was  none  who  worked  with 
him  but  felt  a  certain  quietness  of  his  spirit. 

The  day  after  I  finished  school  I  accepted  a  posi- 
tion which  Mr.  Powell  had  offered  me,  as  inspector 
in  the  Chicago  office  of  the  California  Fruit  Growers 
Exchange.  The  following  year  I  was  made  assistant 
advertising  manager,  a  position  I  had  held  but  a  few 
weeks  when  the  advertising  manager  suddenly  died. 
The  advertising  department,  charged  with  the  judi- 
cious expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money,  was  then 
located  in  Chicago.  I  was  stunned  by  the  death  of 
my  immediate  superior  and  remember  distinctly  the 
feeling  of  incompetence  with  which  I  surveyed  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  he  had  left.  I  fully  ex- 
pected a  telegram  from  the  main  office  informing  me 
that  some  official  of  the  organization  would  come  east 
immediately  to  take  charge  of  the  advertising  depart- 
ment until  a  new  head  was  secured. 


Instead  there  came  this  message: 

"Take  full  charge.  By  consulting  fully  with  your  associ- 
ates you  will  have  no  difficulty.  I  want  you  to  feel  that  I 
have  entire  confidence  in  your  ability  to  handle  advertis- 
ing department  until  such  time  as  I  can  give  consideration 
to  the  appointment  of  a  new  manager. 

G.  HAROLD  POWELL/' 

Can  you  imagine  the  inspiration  of  such  confidence 
and  the  determination  it  would  give  a  man  to  justify 
it? 

The  incident  was  characteristic  of  Mr.  Powell. 
He  had  a  way  of  showing  us  his  confidence  that  in- 
spired us  to  a  supreme  effort  to  deserve  it.  He  multi- 
plied his  ability  by  the  ambition  he  set  fire  in  others. 
He  breathed  into  their  consciousness  the  spirit  of  ser- 
vice that  was  his.  It  was  thus  he  developed  loyalty 
and  brought  out  the  best  that  was  in  those  about  him. 

Several  weeks  later,  when  he  came  east  on  his 
regular  semi-annual  trip,  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
appoint  me  advertising  manager.  But  he  did  not  tell 
me  of  my  promotion.  Knowing  what  it  would  mean 
in  my  home  and  my  life,  he  telephoned  Mrs.  Francisco, 
announced  my  appointment  to  her  and  let  her  impart 
the  news  to  me. 

There  you  see  his  true  greatness.  Not  in  the  selec- 
tion of  men  but  in  the  inspiring  of  men.  Not  in 
business  sagacity  but  in  his  unfailing  courtesy,  gentle 
thoughtfulness  and  great  confidence  in  others. 

His  high  purpose  was  service.  He  gave  of  his 
vision,  his  mind  and  his  purse  to  those  movements 
which  he  thought  worthy  of  support.  Many  times 
during  his  career  he  had  to  consider  opportunities 
which  offered  far  more  in  pecuniary  return  and  higher 
places  from  the  standpoint  of  personal  aggrandize- 
ment, but  invariably  he  waved  them  aside.  "I  know 
of  nothing  that  I  might  do,"  he  said  a  few  weeks  ago, 
"that  would  be  of  greater  service  than  the  work  in 
which  I  am  engaged." 


This  spirit  pervaded  his  organization.  It  is  found 
in  large  measure  in  all  of  his  associates.  They  have 
felt  the  touch  of  G.  Harold  Powell's  life. 

We  called  him  "Chief"  and  were  glad  to  look  up 
to  him  as  the  head  of  the  organization  and  to  have  him 
direct  our  activities,  feeling  confident  that,  if  he 
approved,  our  course  was  right  and  would  be  backed 
up  with  all  his  force  against  any  opposition.  He 
always  welcomed  suggestions.  His  efforts  and  criti- 
cisms were  always  constructive.  Freely  delegating 
responsibility  and  giving  credit  for  accomplishment 
to  his  associates,  he  brought  forth  their  greatest  effort. 
To  the  employee  who  perhaps  doubted  his  own  ability 
to  discharge  a  certain  duty  his  characteristic  admo- 
nition was,  "I  know  you  can  do  it." 

He  visualized  our  opportunity  and  put  interest  in 
our  work.  Once  he  had  chosen  his  men  and  given 
them  responsibility  he  rarely  questioned  anything  they 
brought  to  him,  with  the  result  that  every  employee 
stood  guard  over  his  own  recommendations  to  be  sure 
of  their  soundness. 

By  this  policy  of  delegating  authority  he  left  his 
own  mind  free  for  considering  the  larger  executive 
problems.  This  ability  to  shake  off  details  allowed 
for  the  free  play  of  his  great  vision.  His  was  the 
mind  that  saw  eventualities  afar  before  they  matured 
and  thus  enabled  him  to  shape  his  course  in  advance. 
His  foresight  enabled  him  to  deflect  any  movement 
which  was  unsound  or  to  develop  an  idea  with  latent 
possibilities.  He  was  a  safe  leader,  who  sympathized 
with  those  who  needed  help,  yet  taught  them  to  creep 
before  they  walked,  and  to  work  out  their  problems 
along  sane,  conservative  lines  themselves.  He  believed 
in  threshing  things  out,  taking  plenty  of  time  for  inves- 
tigation and  discussion,  building  slowly  but  firmly 
and  thus  securing  unanimity  of  opinion  and  action. 
He  gave  the  most  careful  consideration  to  every  step 
before  taking  it  with  the  result  that  his  policies  were 
almost  always  approved. 


So  often  did  he  use  the  word  "fundamental"  that  it 
became  a  by-word  about  the  office.  But  the  word  was 
characteristic  of  the  man  for  he  was  ever  bringing  us 
back  to  the  consideration  of  basic  principles.  Trained 
as  a  scientist  he  cast  aside  the  superficial  aspects  of 
every  problem  and  dug  unerringly  for  the  underlying 
factors.  His  work  was  characterized  by  a  thorough- 
ness that  solved  problems  by  finding  the  hidden  causes 
and  eliminating  them.  He  aimed  to  be  sound  at  the 
foundation,  irrespective  of  precedent  or  custom,  and 
to  correct  any  condition  that  was  basicly  wrong. 

He  kept  on  his  desk  Lincoln's  famous  statement 
to  the  effect  that  if  he  was  right  all  the  criticism  in  the 
world  would  not  change  him,  and  if  wrong,  ten  angels 
swearing  he  was  right  could  make  no  difference. 

Wherever  Mr.  Powell  was  in  charge,  there  was 
found  harmony  and  team-work.  That  was  true  in 
the  Department  of  Agriculture;  it  was  true  in  the 
Food  Administration,  and  it  was  the  key-note  of  his 
work  with  the  Exchange.  Twice  weekly  he  held  con- 
ferences with  his  department  heads  to  discuss  questions 
of  general  policy,  inter-departmental  relationship  and 
current  problems.  This  conference  and  committee 
system  is  characteristic  of  his  method  of  promoting 
team-work  and  welding  his  organization  together. 
He  knew  how  to  use  his  associates  and  to  bring  to  bear 
upon  every  question  the  combined  judgment  of  those 
best  qualified  to  consider  it. 

Mr.  Powell  was  intensely  human.  He  loved  his 
organization  because,  with  its  ten  thousand  and  more 
members,  its  problems  were  human  problems.  He  loved 
the  out-of-doors  and  he  saw  beauty  in  the  simple  things 
of  life.  He  loved  the  flowers  and  shrubs  in  his  large 
garden  and  the  pictures  and  furniture  and  rugs  in 
his  home.  And,  it  might  be  added,  he  knew  them  all 
—their  names,  their  history,  their  claims  to  distinction. 
Their  collection  was  his  hobby. 

Mr.  Powell  was  a  delightful  host  and  companion, 
and  those  of  us  who  were  privileged  to  accompany 


him  will  treasure  the  many  intimate  hours  spent  with 
him  on  his  eastern  trips.  When  you  were  with  G. 
Harold  Powell  you  were  likely  to  forget  the  respon- 
sibilities which  he  carried.  His  keen  wit  relieved 
many  a  sober  discussion. 

Mr.  Powell  was  a  real  optimist — not  the  fool-hardy 
optimist  who  shuts  his  eyes  to  danger  and  refuses  to 
acknowledge  its  presence,  but  the  constructive  opti- 
mist, who  believes  that  hard  work,  common  sense  and 
confidence  will  overcome  most  difficulties  and  change 
the  most  adverse  outlook.  His  optimism  was  of  the 
type  that,  in  the  face  of  a  crisis,  does  not  lose  its  per- 
spective and  become  confused  over  trifles,  but  looks 
beyond  to  the  future  and  perceives  there  the  final  goal 
of  honest  endeavor. 

Mr.  Powell  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  late  Ethan 
Allen  Chase  and,  upon  the  latter's  death  a  few  months 
ago,  wrote  an  appreciation  in  his  memory.  In  this 
he  says: 

"One  could  not  know  him  without  feeling  the  great 
simplicity  of  the  man,  his  understanding  of  life  and  his  sense 
of  obligation  to  it,  the  strength  of  his  will,  his  fairness  and 
justice,  his  intuitive  sensing  and  condemning  of  sham,  his 
fearlessness  tempered  with  reasonableness,  his  realization  of 
the  needs  of  others  and  the  quiet  meeting  of  those  needs,  the 
tender,  paternal  quality  of  his  humanity,  the  culture  of  his 
mind  and  soul." 

And  this,  Mr.  Powell's  tribute  to  another,  might 
well  be  set  down  as  our  tribute  to  him. 

As  a  man  and  a  friend  he  is  revered  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  influence  is  felt  wherever  he  entered. 
Sincerely  democratic,  his  memory  is  esteemed  by  high 
and  low  alike.  He  leaves  a  multitude  of  friends  and 
a  host  of  admirers,  who,  though  saddened  by  his  loss, 
thank  God  for  his  life  and  for  the  privilege  of  basking 
in  the  radiance  of  his  character.  His  service,  his 
achievements,  his  spirit,  his  life  combine  to  form  an 
imperishable  monument  to  G.  Harold  Powell — the 
man. 


327582 


The  influence  of  such  a  man  is  never-ending.  As 
we  face  the  problems  of  each  day,  there  are  many  of  us 
who  will  feel  the  guiding  influence,  the  reassuring 
hand,  the  inspiring  confidence,  of  G.  Harold  Powell. 

And  in  the  words  of  Riley,  we  may  say: 

"Away  I  cannot  say,  and  I  will  not  say 

That  he  is  dead.     He  is  just  away! 
With  a  cheery  smile  and  a  wave  of  the  hand 
He  has  wandered  into  an  unknown  land 

And  left  us  dreaming  how  very  fair 
It  needs  must  be,  since  he  lingers  there. 
And  you— oh  you,  who  the  wildest  yearn 
For  the  old-time  step  and  the  glad  return 

Think  of  him  faring  on,  as  dear 
In  the  love  of  There,  as  the  love  of  Here, 

Think  of  him  still  as  the  same,  I  say, 

He  is  not  dead — he  is  just  away." 


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